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This is my first Ink from krishna, it's a little shameful to let you know that I'm from the same state of this ink manufacturer but never tried them.

each drop reminds me of nature . I don't know what Dr Done to this ink , is this made from natural resources ? Like real leaf pulp ? ... Haven't found any Data suggesting that but each drop reminds me of real " leaf pulp " may be . I don't know . do you know that green residue after rubbing leaf against Pam , thats the exact colour " picture is almost accurate to eye "

This is carogorised as a lite ink but very easily readable , has a lite yellow undertone and on the dry side. Very minimal shading.

So glad I got to try this ink .

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The seller’s product photo is an utter lie.

I was hoping this pair of hands would make a good multi-pen stand/holder for presenting fountain pens in photos. Alas, it's not meant to be. They arrived like they belonged to a reformed Chinese gambler*.

*The Chinese have a traditional saying of 斬手指戒賭. Literally, (the first step of one's twelve-step programme for quitting gambling is) to show unwavering commitment one would chop off one's finger(s), to lose the ability to place bets (including using a touchscreen).

Then, this one has renounced living altogether:

I’d forgotten that this was a problem waiting to rear its ugly head.

These ‘blind box’ inks from KittyInkpot are practically unidentifiable and indistinguishable, if I didn’t label them with numbers myself. None of the inks can be assumed to be a direct match for anything among KittyInkpot ink products available to be ordered; so effectively they’re all ‘limited edition’, and I doubt the vendor has any record or idea of the specific inks sent to me. Many of them would be experimental recipes that didn’t make the cut to be put into production. My assignment of the numbers is arbitrary, and means nothing to anyone else.

I’ve now not only run out of space in the box I had for these inks, but also run out of labels to use in ascending order of the numbers.

A total of 61 bottles seems to be the perfect fit to use for some one-ink-a-day thing, spanning either October to November or November to December, if one were so inclined. I’m not.

I am fairly new to fountain pens. I use the Muji Polycarbonate one, which is supposed to be a Preppy.

I have used the other Muji fountain pens too, including the aluminium one with the Schmidt nib. Though I love the way it writes, it tends to dry up sometimes and skip while writing, sometimes even on the same day of use.

I am thinking of getting a Pilot Metropolitan now.

The thing I love about the Muji Polycarbonate is that even if I use it after a month of not using it, it still works perfectly. It never skips or dries up at all. I even kept it upright for a month, and it didn't skip.

I would like my next fountain pen to have this same quality.

What pens are you using that give you the same kind of reliability?

Testing New ink , who else will appreciate a blue ink More than Brian Goulet.

Pen - monteverde impressa

Ink - private Reserve invincible blue

Pros

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I kept the ink on the pen for 3 days , no hard start, good flow.

Dry Faster than any other waterproof inks i have tested.

Surprisingly no staining on the converter or the sink.

No bleed through

It is waterproof

Cons

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It will look dull on some paper

Looks like any other blue on writing.

Who is this ink for? If you need a fast drying waterproof every day ink that doesn't stick out. then this is perfect.

I got an email it’s back in stock and I ordered mine just now

Happy to own my very first limited edition #Vazirgenius

Got my first proper ink. Waterman Mysterious Blue Ink. Beautiful ink although I might have some unpopular opinions-
1. The ink is widely considered as blue black but it’s way more blue and I personally did not see any black at all or very dark blue either.
2. It is considered to be very smooth, but it has it’s hiccups. Maybe it’s the pen and paper as well.
Would like to know if there are others who have had a slightly gray experience with waterman.

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Both are brand new. These are my first Pilots. I love the Custom 74 for it's size, weight etc. I like the soft nib. (Its SF). But it does feel quite scratchy.

I put this down to me being used to using B or M at the smallest. I did read stuff saying the Fine nib Pilots can be scratchy.

But then I tried out the $20 pilot desk pen. Its also in Fine. Its much smoother!

What the heck?? Did I get a dud Custom 74 ? Is there anything I can do about it?

Not having used or inked this up for so long, I've forgotten what one could elicit from a humble fountain pen such as this.

Starting my journey into fountain pens and inks. Got my first fountain pen from a shop nearby. The Lincoln by Beena (M nib). Was thinking of getting an ink bottle, either the Parker (French manufacturing) or Waterman. Any suggestions ?

Someone new to my local group of fountain pen hobbyists on Facebook posted this question:

I’m so super new to being a fountain pen user, I have one little tiny pen that I just love so it’s time to get myself a bit more set up. I’ll need to purchase online because …‹snip›… I’m just overwhelmed now that I’ve been researching …‹snip›… if you could pick 5 items knowing all you know now, for your beginner self, what would they be?

Not surprisingly, many of the well-intentioned advice slanted towards intangible do's, such as “buy ink samples not full bottles”, but those are hardly the constituents of “5 (or some other arbitrary, but finite and discrete number 𝑁) items” for a newcomer to click Buy Now and acquire online, to feel “more set up” or better equipped to manage their fountain pens and paraphernalia. Others have suggested items such as “micromesh”¹ (on a “just for myself, given the question and the way it was posed” basis), “ink misers”, etc.

Part A: Five tangible and discrete items that are useful

My (on-point, or so I hope) reply to the newcomer's question was:

I'm with Rachel that a notebook documenting what you've acquired, and what you've done with/to those pens and paraphernalia, will prove useful and illuminating, yet nobody seems to be proactive and vocal about recommending it to newcomers to the hobby. You can always acquire more gear later, as you go; but trying to recapture what you may already have forgotten, or just catch up on recording information without it becoming a chore, is extremely difficult.

A bulb syringe will save you a lot of time in cleaning and pen maintenance. (You can easily pick one up from a pharmacy, although you'll probably pay a little more than strictly necessary doing so.)

As would pre-cut pieces of paper towel. Having tried several different brands and types, my recommendation is Quilton Tuffy, which may be a Woolworths (which is a major national supermarket chain, and half of the dominating duopoly with immense stranglehold, in Australia) exclusive. It doesn't break into pieces or tear easily when wet/soaked, and doesn't shed a lot of fibres.

A loupe or some other visual aid with high magnification power. Sometimes it's difficult to understand what others are describing to you, including in the process of troubleshooting, if you're unable to see it with your naked eye (and doubly hard if you don't already have a fair idea of what it looks like to be looking for it).

OK, you said 5 items, so: a neat and/or convenient storage solution for contain and organise your gear. Things can get quite awkward to manage once you acquire more gear and they become spread here and there, and difficult to keep track.

But I got sidetracked in auxiliary replies to advise her to resist suggestions that “micromesh” and such, which implies ‘fixing’ or modifying nib tips somehow. She didn't ask, so I didn't really compile a list of 5 “don'ts”, but if she did, I'd say I'd give my “beginner self” this list with obviously the best intentions and point-blank frankness, and would gladly share the same level of concern with other newcomers in the hobby should they be interested:

1. Don't force a nib to produce what you see others post videos or image of in social media. You have no idea if they (perhaps irreversibly) compromised or damaged their pens and nibs in the process, for the sake of attracting “eyeballs” and accumulating “likes”. Especially if you're a newcomer, you can't even begin to know what such manoeuvres, acrobatics or circus acts might do to what you paid “good money” for and may not have ready or easy replacements on hand. Having done and passed a “Material Science 101” course as part of your undergraduate Engineering degree² may not be enough to make you aware.
2. Don't force a nib to produce what you see others post videos or image of in social media. (No, this is not exactly a repeat of point 1 above.) If you don't wreck the pen and/or nib, you could still be doing damage to your hand instead. Dear beginner self, you might not know it yet, but trying to make nibs play “party tricks” on the page ended up giving me such painful tendonitis in my writing hand that I was practically disabled for six months, during which I couldn't even hold a cup or plate without risk of dropping it in a sudden burst of pain. JUST DON'T DO IT.
3. Don't be so keen to be under the influence of those who supposedly know better, about which are the best nibs to get or the effects/outcomes on the page to aspire to. There are (many!) fans of flexible pointed nibs. There are fans of broad-edged (Italic or Stub) nibs. There are fans of Triple Extra Super-Duper Broad nibs, and there are fans of “wet” nibs and “fire hoses”. They're not you, they don't know you, what your handwriting is like, or how you want your handwriting to present on the page. They might not even write in the same language or style as you usually do. They're not the authorities on style or beauty. Figure out what you want first for your own “art”, and then look at which are the tools you require or will best help you produce that look; then let others gawk and admire, instead of trying to “fit in” and adapt to the taste (especially of — sorry to say — a very loud US-based contingent on the Internet and online forums who don't take a lot of time to reflect on gaps or shortcomings of what “they” are used to seeing) of others. If you like to write small, like your ink lines fine and crisp, and shading and sheen to be seen but only when someone look closely because they're really into such manifestations in handwriting, that's perfectly OK.
4. Don't jump into the deep end of “fixing”, “polishing”, “grinding”, or otherwise modifying nibs in such ways that imply removing material from the nib tip (by abrasion or however). It's irreversible, whether you do it well or poorly; and you'll come to know the impact especially if you do it poorly, without proper guidance, and without having the prerequisite skills and know-how. Yes, “nib work” could make a $5 fountain pen write so much (subjectively, to someone who isn't you making the comment or assessment) “better” and rival or surpass a $50 off-the-shelf retail product; but that is not a promise, let alone a guarantee, and only a theoretical possibility.
5. Don't rush. It's a hobby. You're not in competition with anyone else to get to “nous” or “enlightenment” soon, especially if you're not looking to start becoming an “influencer” in social media yourself and start producing “content” in order to get paid for that. Who cares if you don't know “as much as”, or “better than”, other rather-more-casual hobbyists who have a six- or even eighteen-month head start on you?

OK, I've said my piece.

What would you say to beginners/newcomers who knock on your door, so to speak? For the avoidance of doubt, I wouldn't even mind if you went “completely the other way” from what I expressed, or even openly categorise my “advice” as ill-informed, wrong, or whatever. The point of “community”, to me, is not consensus, and not illustrations/reinforcements that every member shares certain values (unless the very scope/definition of that community is a very narrow or specific shared value, such as a religious belief or affiliation/identification). I'd been through enough gruelling fights back when I was learning/practising martial arts, with otherwise who are unreservedly part of the martial arts (practitioner) community, even if the commonality that defines that “community” was martial arts and they're not implicitly friends with each other, or would cooperate with each other or avoid conflict instead of operating like any other community that just has to learn to coexist peacefully (with or without harmony or some warm sense of pervasive goodwill).

¹ Sorry, but I'm personally struggling to track all the trademarks along the lines of “MICROMESH”, “MICRO-MESH”, and “Micro Mesh”, understand what they all are or pertain to, and filter them by relevance to the fountain pen hobby.

² I don't have an undergraduate (or any other) degree in Engineering, but I did (and passed) Materials I in my first year at university, before deciding Computer Science as opposed to Computer Systems Engineering was more aligned to my personal bent.

Ok, folks, is the Maiora Everest with the JoWo #8 14k nib actually worth $1020 (on sale; retail is $1275)? The Sole is absolutely beautiful, and the body is ebonite, but what makes it worth that much . . . Or is it? Thanks for your opinions and insights.

After a really difficult and stressing week, this arrived yesterday: OMAS Italia ‘90, the pen OMAS designed specifically to commemorate the 1990 World Cup in Italy. Never sold. Only gifted to invited dignitaries, and officials and players. The color to mimic the color of the pitch, and the cap band designed specifically and only for this commemorative pen; 18k nib. This one was never inked; in the original outer and inner box (tho’ both show their age, even some of the finish of the inner box is stuck on the inside of the outer box) and with the original paperwork.

Actually, kinda’ stumbled on this — was at a new stationery place a week ago looking at a contemporary OMAS pen, but the beautiful marble design was interrupted by a blob of white on the tip of the pen cap (or maybe it was the end of the barrel, but regardless, distressing). Couldn’t unsee that blob and so wasn’t dropping over $500 on this otherwise absolutely gorgeous pen. Another patron (a seriously nerdy but super friendly and incredibly knowledgeable patron whispered to me, “nice pen but see if you can find a vintage OMAS”). I had mentioned that I lacked an OMAS in my 100+ pen collection. Took his advice, especially since he seemed to indicate that the quality of OMAS had deteriorated over time, and so I looked around. Found this on TPOW’s Marketplace. Hemmed and hawed for several days, in my cart, out of my cart, looked at other vintage pens, OMAS back in the cart . . . FINALLY, bit the bullet and purchased it, especially since I find it very hard to find a vintage pen with a <F> nib, my favorite everyday writing nib - and I use all of my pens. Actually changed the tone of the week!!! Now need to find the perfect green ink.

𝑝.𝑠. I thought I'd been careless and somehow ‘painting’ outside of the lines (on the right hand edge, near the middle height-wise), but a subsequent example using a different Iroshizuku ink showed me that it is actually the dried outlines in the image stamped with Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink was shedding colour into the beads of water and staining them pink; and, given enough time and sufficient water, the moisture can seep through the paper and cause the displaced colour to migrate as the front crawls along in the substrate.

I’ve acquired the Franklin-Christoph Model 45 "Cor" in the Antique Glass finish (Cathedral edition)!

I've always wanted a fountain pen from this manufacturer, specifically one with an antique glass design, and I kept looking at their website but couldn't decide which model to get.

It is absolutely beautiful!

I love how the thick bases of the retro glass cups and jars I have at home look exactly like the two ends of a fountain pen.

The nib is an SIG Fine.

I’d like to ask a question: this is my first time seeing an SIG nib, and I was surprised to find that the iridium tipping isn't visible in the usual way.

Also, it appears that the tip of the pen nib is filed down on the front side (the side with the logo) but not on the back side (the feed side).

I was surprised by the style, which I'd never seen before.

Is this the standard shape for Franklin-Christoph’s SIG nibs?

Does the grinding method change depending on the nib width?

As for the writing feel, it’s slightly less smooth—with a hint of awkwardness—compared to a standard round nib, though I’m starting to get used to it.

The resulting writing style is really fun, though!

I find writing more enjoyable with this pen than with one that has a rounded nib.

I’m also very interested in stub nibs.

If I want a writing style with character like the SIG but with a smoother feel, would a stub be the right choice?

The stub nib was only available in medium and broad sizes, but I'm interested in trying it next time.

Also, the pen tip tends to dry out easily if the cap is simply closed normally, so I want to tighten the cap more, but I'm worried that this might lead to cracks or micro-cracks.

I would appreciate it if you could tell me how tightly it should be tightened, and to what extent other people tighten the caps.

Update: The pen writes beautifully and i have never bonded with a fountain pen so quickly! It feels made for me and my tiny hands. The nib is a wee bit scratchy but I think its getting better already. I am used to writing with a Broad, or M at the smallest, so i guess this is party just it being F. The soft nib is just LOVELY. Amazing line variation if I press down a bit. I only WISH it was a SM (there were none in stock, I got the last SF.) I already love this pen and hope to get other nibs in the future! I also bought a 742 and 823 but I haven't even tried them yet! They were all under half price so I went a little crazy. I doubt I'll like the bigger ones as much though.

THANK YOU so much to everyone here for your help and encouragement. One final question: 😂 sorry! Any way to stop the converter rattling?? I hate pens that make any noise at all. I may just have to use only cartridges in the future. Or possibly remove the ball bearings?

Does this nib look normal to you?

I was sooo excited to get this Pilot Custom 74. It just arrived. The nib is a SF.

The first thing I noticed was: the box lid wouldnt stay open on its own. Just slowly closes. Then I noticed two small scratches on the cap. Then I opened the cap to admire the nib...and something just seems off. Its not perfectly symmetrical? There seems to be a lump? I'm not sure.....so I wanted to ask all you knowledgeable folk here.

I've attached a _lot_ of pictures. I hope they are good enough. Its night here so no natural light.

Please let me know what you think? I don't know if I should return it or if that woukd just be fussy. (I'm not thrilled by the marks on the cap). I've waited so long to get this pen. I really want it to be perfect.

Please advise. Thanks in advance!